Trolley-support.



PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

H. 9. FARR. TROLLEY SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED OGT.2Z, 1907. I

Jlulll I My nib r: Jii'nyn G HIRAM Gr. FARR, OF MELROSE HIGHLANDS, MASSACHUSETTS.

TROLLEY-SUPPORT Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed October 22, 1907. Serial No. 398,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM G. FARR, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Melrose Highlands, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to supports for trolley wheels and has for its object the production of a suitable support which is provided with an oil reservoir from which oil may be conducted through a suitable wick to lubricate the bearings of the trolley wheel as it revolves about the supporting pin.

It has for a further object the provision of a suitable device for insuring a contact with said trolley wheel during its rotation about said supporting pin.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be readily understood by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims hereinafter given.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 represents a central section through a trolley wheel and its support, the cutting plane being on line 11 on Fig. 2. Fig. 2 represents a section of the same, the cutting plane being on line 2-2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents an elevation of the end of one of the arms of the harp showing the supporting pin therein and the means for locking the same to prevent rotation. Fig. 4 represents an elevation of-an end of one of the contact springs. Fig. 5 represents an elevation of a secondary contact spring, and Figs. 6 and 7 represent diagrammatic views showing respectively the position of the lubricating wick when the trolley is in operative position when in contact with the trolley wire and when in inoperative position removed from said trolley wire.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawln the drawings 10 represents a harp of any usual construction having mounted at the extremity of each of the arms 1 1 of the forked end thereof a supporting pin 12 which is held in position in said arms 11 by means of the cotter pins 13, extending longitudinally of said arms and resting partly in the groove 14 in the outer face of said arms, all as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These cotter pins 13 bearing against the walls of the groove 14 prevent the rotation of the pin 12. In the forked end of theharp 10 between the arms 1111 a trolley wheel 15 is mounted upon said supporting pin 12 about which it is adapted to be revolved when in contact with the trolley wire. This wheel 15 is provided with a central chamber 16 filled with suitable packing 17 of felt or other absorbent material. This packing or absorbent pad 17 is thoroughly saturated with any desired lubricant with which it is desired to lubricate the bearing of said trolley wheel, this lubricant being supplied to the bearing surface of the supporting pin 12 during the revolution of said wheel.

The pin 12 is provided with an interior chamber 18 the ends of which are slightly beyond the exterior side faces of the trolley wheel 15. A slot 19 extends through the wall of this chamber 18 to the outer periphery of the pin 12 and in this slot 19 a wick or absorbent strip 20 is inserted, the inner end of which extends into the reservoir or chamber 18 which is filled with a suitable lubricating oil. As the trolley wheel revolves about the pin 12, the heat caused by the revolution thereof will cause the oil in the chamber 18 to percolate through the wick 20 and lubricate the bearing of the wheel 15 as needed, the oil being supplied in a greater quantity as the rapidity of rotation of the wheel increases.

Inasmuch as the slot 19 extends'beyond the outer faces of the trolley wheel 15 an additional supply of oil may be readily inserted in the reservoir 18 at any time without necessitating the dismantling of the various parts of the trolley su ports. Contacting with each outer face 0 the hub 21 of the trolley wheel 15 is a metallic member 22 through an opening 23 in the end of which extends the supporting pin 12. This metallic member 22 is connected by means of a spring extension 24 to the harp 11, said spring extension being secured thereto at 25. Surrounding the supporting pin 12 and interposed between the outer face of the member 22 and the inner face of each arm 11 of the harp 10 is a coiled spring 26 each coil of which is of a smaller diameter and extends beyond each preceding coil, thus forming a conical spiral spring as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5. ThlS spring presses against the member 22 and insures its contact with the outer face of the hub 21 of the trolley wheel so that any current passing to the wheel may readily pass to the member 22 and through the spring extension 24 to the harp. In a similar manner a current passing to the tubular member may pass to and through the conical spiral spring 26 and thence to the harp 10 thus insuring a double contact between the trolley wheel and the harp for the passage of the electric current. By the construction shown the trolley wheel is per mitted to move longitudinally of the pin 12 between the arms 1111, the conical s 'iral spring 26 being compressed to permit 0 this movement, the construction of the spring permitting the same to be compressed into the thickness of a single wire. N ormall when no strain is upon the trolley wheel the action of the two sets of springs'centers the trolley wheel and retains it midway between the two arms 1111. When under some undue strain, however, as passing around sharp curves the trolle wheel is permitted to move longitudinally of the supporting pin 12 to accommodate itself to the strain, one of the springs 26 being compressed and the other expanded during this movement to insure a perfect contact with the wheel at all times.

When the trolley wheel is in contact with the trolley wire as shown in Fig. 6 the wick 20 is in the position shown in said view so that the strain brought upon the bearing at this time does not come directly upon the lubricating wick. At the same time it is seen that the slot 19 is in such a position as to prevent the oil from escaping while when the trolley is removed from the trolley wire and in a depressed position, as shown in Fig. 7, the slot 19 is still in such a osition as to prevent the escape of the oil from the chamber 18.

This construction of a trolley support is very effective in its operation, the oil contained within the chamber 18 percolating through the wick 20 to lubricate the bearing surfaces of the wheel 15. At the same time a certain amount of oil percolating through the wick 20 is transferred to the absorbent packing 17 contained within the chamber 16 of the trolley wheel 15 and as this packin rotates about the pin with the trolley wheel 15 a certain amount of lubricant contained therein passes onto the periphery of the pin 12 between it and the bearing surfaces of the trolley wheel. By this construction the lubrication of the bearing is so effective that I comparatively no wear is discovered u on the bearing of the wheel or the pin even a ter the wheel has been subjected to long and severe usage.

As the oil chamber extends beyond the faces of the trolley wheel when in its normal position it is apparent that a new supply of oil if necessary may be readily inserted in the chamber 18 and as the wick fills the entire length of the slot extending to the periphery when the trolley wheel is moved longitudinally of the pin 12 it continues to remain in contact therewith throughout its movement.

The springs on either side of the trolley wheel normally center it on the supporting pin 12 but ermit a longitudinal movement of the wheel thereon when necessary, at all times securing a contact for thecurrent to pass from the wheel to the harp, passing through the members 22 and 24 and through the coiled members 26.

It is believed that from the foregoing the many advantages and the operation of the invention will be thoroughly understood without further description.

Having thus descr bed my invention, I claim:

1. In a trolley support, the combination of a chambered wheel; an absorbent packing in said chamber; a supporting pin about which said wheel is adapted to revolve having an oil chamber and a slot extending therefrom to the periphery; and a wick extending through said 'slot'into contact with the bearing of said wheel and the'absorbent packing in said chamber.'

2. In a trolley support, the combination of a chambered wheel; an absorbent packing in said chamber; a supporting pin. about which said wheel is adapted to revolve having an oil chamber and a slot extending therefrom to the periphery, said slot extending beyond each side face of said wheel; and a wick extending through said slot into contact with the bearing of said wheel and the absorbent packing in said chamber.

3. In a trolley support, the combination of a chambered wheel; an absorbent packing in said chamber; a supporting pin about which said wheel is adapted to revolve having an oil chamber and a slot extending therefrom to the periphery; a wick extending through said slot into contact with the bearing of said wheel; a harp for supporting said pin; a groove in the face of said-harp and a member extending through said pin engaging the walls of said groove to prevent the rotation of said pin. 4. In a trolley support, the combination of a wheel; a supporting pin therefor; a harp in which said pin is fixedly secured; a fiat spring secured to said harp bearing on each face of said wheel; and a coiled spring surrounding said pin and interposed between each branch of said harp and flat spring.

5. In a trolley support, the combination of a wheel; a supporting pin therefor; a' harp in which said pin is fixedly secured; a flat spring secured to said harp bearing on each face of said wheel; and a conical coiled spring surrounding said pin and interposed between each branch of said harp and fiat spring.

6. In a trolley support, the combination of a wheel; a supporting pin therefor; a harp in which said pin is fixedly secured; and a conical coiled spring surrounding said pin and interposed between each branch of said harp I posed between each branchof said harp and 10 metallic member.

Signed by me at Boston, day of October, 1907.

HIRAM G. FARR.

Mass, this 12th Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, l EDNA C. CLEVELAND. 

